Connecting joint



Jul 8, 1924; 1,500,569

W. T. BARNHILL CONNECTING JOINT Filed Jan. 28 1924 INVENTOR MLL IA'II F BmiwH/LL Patented Jul 8, 1924.

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CONNECTING JOINT.

- Application filed January 28, 1924. Serial No. 689,047.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. BARN- HILL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Seattle, King County, W'ashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Connecting Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in connecting joints, more particularly to rail joints of that class wherein there are members formed on the end of one rail that are adapted to interlock with co-operatively arranged parts at the end of an adjoining rail; it being the object of the invention to provide a joint that will not yield laterally, vertically or longitudinally, and which eliminates the use of fish plates, bolts or other means to connect the rails.

It is a further object of the invention to improve upon the joint as illustrated in United States Patent No. 837,999 issued Deeember 11, 1906, by the provision of dove tailed connections that makes a substantial and longer wearing connection.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective View, illustrating rails connected by a joint made in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ends of the rails in disconnected relation.

Figure 3 is a side view of the joint, partly in longitudinal section, illustrating the interlocking connection.

Figure 4 is an end View of the socketed rail.

Figure 5 is an end view of the tongued rail.

Figure 6 is a view illustrating connecting rods connected by a joint made according to the present invention.

Referring more in detail to the drawings- 1 and 2, respectively, designate rails of a railway track of the ordinary type except at the ends of the rails, the web portions 3 are thickened to come flush with the base and head portions, as is indicated at 4:.

At the interlocking ends of the rails, the rail 1 is cut out to form a socket 5 adapted to receive therein a tongue 6 formed in cooperative relation on the end of rail 2. The

socket extends transversely of the web and curves downwardly toward its inner end and is sufficiently larger than the tongue to permit the usual movement incidental to contraction, or expansion of the rails. The tongue is made to conform to the shape of the socket and is uniformly curved so that it may be moved easily into and from interlocked relation with the socket.

At the upper and lower sides of the socket 5 are extensions 8 and 9 provided respectively with dovetailed recesses 10 and 11 that open to the end of the extensions and which extend longitudinally of the rail with the wider portions of the recesses at the top and base of the rail. These recesses are adapted to receive therein dovetailed extensions 12 and 13 formed integral with rail 2 at the upper and lower side of the tongue 6. These exensions are also made shorter than the recesses to which they are applied in order to allow for longitudinal slippage incidental to expansion and contraction.

To assemble the rails, they are moved so as to assume an angular relation to each other so that the tongue 6 can be applied to the socket 5 and extension 13 to recess 11. The rails are then brought into alinement and this causes the tongue to be seated and the dovetailed extensions 12 and 13 to interlock within recesses 10 and 11.

This joint permits the necessary longitudinal slippage but prevents any lateral or vertical movement of one part relative to the other.

Vhile I have described the joint as applied to railway rails, it is not intended that it be confined only to this particular use, as it is readily apparent that such a joint can be used for various other purposes such as for connecting rods, or similar members. In Figure 6, I have illustrated connecting rods 15 and 16 joined by a connection as above described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A joint comprising a curved socket opening to the end thereof and having dovetailed recesses in the body portions at opposite sides of the socket and a second member having a curved tongue removably fitted within the socket of the first member and having dovetailed extensions at opposite sides of the tongue adapted to fit within the dovetailed recesses.

2. A joint comprising a member having a end, and having dovetailed recesses in the body portions above and below the'socket extending longitudinally of the member and 7 opening to the end thereof and with the narrower part of the recess opening into the socket, and a second member having a fiat end surface adapted to abut theend of the first member,'a tongue' ex'tending from the end of the second member adapted to be removably fitted within the socket of the first member and having dovetailed extensions above and below the tongue adapted to be removably fitted within the dovetailed recesses. V y 7 Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 15th day of January, 1924:.

WILLIAM T. BARNHILL. 

